MASONTOWN, W. Va. – Heavy rainfall leading up to Sunday’s Parts Unlimited Mountaineer Run GNCC made for slippery track conditions at Round 8 of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series. However, despite the difficult terrain conditions, the 1 p.m. afternoon race boasted some of the most exciting race action of the 2013 season. Kailub Russell dominated the three-hour competition, capturing his second-straight victory of the season, where he closed the gap to less than ten points behind Charlie Mullins in the National Championship standings. In the XC2 Pro Lites class, defending champion Jason Thomas used his veteran knowledge to best his rookie competition as he secured his first win of the season.

Defending National Champion Paul Whibley battled it out with his AmPro Yamaha teammate Jordan Ashburn right off the start, where the duo went nearly side-by-side through the All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot line, but Whibley once again went home with the $250 prize. Ashburn wasn’t able to brake for the slick corner, causing the Tennessee native to go down, where he began the race in the back of the pack.

MILLFIELD, Ohio – Round 7 of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series made a stop in Millfield, Ohio for the 23rd running of the Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Chris Borich returned to his winning ways on Saturday, making a last lap pass on Adam McGill to secure his sixth win of 2013.

Eric Hoyland began his day by grabbing the $250 Team Woodhead/DeRisi Racing XC1 Holeshot Award ahead of a stacked field of riders. It didn’t take long for the veteran front-runners to take the lead, beginning with Lonestar Racing/Precision/ITP’s Adam McGill, who crossed the line in first on the opening lap. Borich put his Maxxis-backed machine right behind McGill, while Reliable Tool Supply/Maxxis’ Chris Bithell, BNR’s Kevin Yoho and JB Racing/Can-Am’s Jarrod McClure followed close behind.

AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler and HMF/GBC/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher didn’t get a start out front but the Yamaha-backed duo quickly made their way through the pack. Fowler caught up to the leaders, where he engaged in a battle for a podium position with Bithell, Borich and McGill. A podium finish was in the cards for Fowler until he ran out of gas on the final lap, where he ended up finishing fourth overall for the day.

MILLFIELD, Ohio – The 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series took to Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio on Sunday for the 23rd running of the Wiseco John Penton GNCC. The National Championship title chase became much more exciting as Kailub Russell inched his way toward points leader Charlie Mullins by securing his second victory of the season in his home state of Ohio. Rookie Grant Baylor outlasted his veteran competition, taking his second win of the season in the XC2 class.

AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley grabbed yet another $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award but the Factory FMF/KTM duo of Mullins and Russell put themselves out front on the opening lap. Shenandoah Honda/USWE-Sports.com’s Thad DuVall made his way past the defending champ Whibley, where he began his battle with Russell and Mullins in the lead pack.

Whibley battled early on with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC’s Josh Strang and AmPro Yamaha teammate Jordan Ashburn before inserting himself into the lead position just before the halfway point. There were several lead changes throughout the seven-lap race and it didn’t take long for Russell to reclaim the lead around Lap 4. From there, Russell and Mullins took command of the race, where the KTM duo eventually rode to a 1-2 finish for the day.

SPRINGVILLE, Ind. – Round 6 of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series descended upon the Lawrence County Recreational Facility on Saturday for the second running of the Dunlop Limestone GNCC. AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler broke defending champ Chris Borich’s five-race win streak this season by claiming his first victory of 2013, marking his second career win in the XC1 class. Additionally, Ohio’s Brycen Neal secured his fourth XC2 class win of the season in Indiana.

It was an exciting battle from start to finish in the two-hour Limestone GNCC as Fowler, Reliable Tool Supply/Maxxis’ Chris Bithell, Maxxis-backed Borich and Lonestar Racing/Precision/ITP’s Adam McGill challenged the race-win all afternoon. But it was Waynesburg Yamaha/GT Thunder’s Pickens who took the early lead, grabbing his second straight $250 Team Woodhead/DeRisi Racing XC1 Holeshot Award. It wasn’t long before Fowler jumped out front, with the trio of front-runners close behind.

SPRINGVILLE, Ind. (May 20, 2013) – Following some of the muddiest race conditions the series has seen in recent history, the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series experienced picture perfect weather and track conditions on Sunday for the Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC. After three hours of intense battle, Charlie Mullins extended his points lead over the field by capturing his fourth win of the season at Round 6 of the 13-race series.

The AmPro Yamaha team got off to another great start, first with Paul Whibley securing the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award and then it was Jordan Ashburn who grabbed the early lead. Ashburn held the lead through Lap 1 but it didn’t take long for the Factory FMF/KTM duo of Mullins and Kailub Russell to put themselves out front. Just when it appeared to be a two-way battle for the win, Shenandoah Honda/USWE-Sports.com’s Thad DuVall entered himself into the chase. Around the halfway mark, DuVall broke up the KTM teammates, riding in the second place position behind Russell until Mullins made the move past both riders to reclaim the lead with two laps to go.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Following an unpredictable weekend of weather and track conditions at Round 5 of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series, the chase for the 2013 championship has become a little bit tighter. While Charlie Mullins continues to lead the way in the overall standings, a tough weekend for the Factory FMF/KTM team last round allowed the rest of the field to garner much needed points in the championship chase. As the series makes its way into Round 6 this weekend, several riders will carry the momentum needed to inch another step closer towards the number one spot.

Shenandoah Honda/USWE-Sports.com’s Thad DuVall is the first non-KTM rider to claim an overall victory in 2013, giving the West Virginia native confidence heading into this weekend’s Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC. DuVall currently sits one point below Carolina KTM/RidePG.com’s Chris Bach in the overall standings after experiencing a crash and failing to score championship points at Round 3. With the exception of the points leader Mullins, Bach is the only other XC1 rider to have successfully scored championship points at all five rounds thus far. Consistency has paid off for the Indiana native as he looks to score his third podium finish in his home state this weekend.

PARK CITY, Ky. – After three consecutive days of rainfall in South Central Kentucky, The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mammoth GNCC was nothing short of a tough mudder. For the first time in recent history, Racer Productions made the decision to combine the morning amateur race with the afternoon pro race in order to salvage as much of the racecourse as possible. With nearly 400 racers-ranging from Pros all the way to Women’s and C class divisions-taking part in the 1 p.m. race, it was survival of the fittest in Sunday’s condensed two-hour competition.

This time it was Shenandoah Honda/USWE-Sports.com’s Thad DuVall who sealed the deal after putting in a consistent and smooth race aboard his CR250-F machine. DuVall put a late pass on Rocky Mountain ATV/MC’s Josh Strang to claim the overall victory in Park City, Ky. After getting stuck on the last lap, Strang finished less than one minute behind DuVall to secure his first podium finish since Round 1 in Florida.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – At this point in time last season, Charlie Mullins had yet to secure a race win, whereas teammate Kailub Russell was just coming off a three-race win streak. However, heading into Round 5 of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series this weekend, the tables have slightly turned for the Factory FMF/KTM duo but this time it’s both riders who are in contention for the National Championship early in the 13-round series.

With three of the four wins this season, Mullins has proven to be the dominant force as he commands the points lead heading into Sunday’s Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mammoth GNCC. However, Russell claimed the Round 2 victory, finishing a close second at the other three rounds and trails his teammate by only ten points in the championship standings with nine races remaining.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (May 1, 2013) – When it comes to winning races, Maxxis-backed Chris Borich is as close to flawless as they come. The 4-Time GNCC champ has proven to outsmart and outlast his competition time and time again, sweeping the first four victories of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series. Borich has a long season ahead in order to capture his fifth consecutive title, but the Pennsylvania native is also working toward a feat of his own as he continues to become one step closer to being the winningest GNCC racer of all time.

With 63 career wins to date, Borich is attempting to dethrone 9-Time champion Bill Ballance-who has 67 wins-to become the winningest ATV racer in GNCC history. Seven-Time ATV champ and 2003 bike champ Barry Hawk currently holds the all-time win record with a combined 68 wins between both disciplines, an achievement that could be reached and exceeded by Borich in 2013.

Anaheim, Calif. – As one of the longest running stops on the Grand National Cross Country series tour, Henry Turner’s Big Buck is a favorite amongst riders and fans alike. Heavy rains Friday made for slick conditions in the hard packed sections and also made the numerous creek crossings more challenging than usual. Adding to the anticipation for the race, GBC Sales Representative and former top ATV Motocross star Kory Ellis made a surprise appearance to cheer on all of the GBC supported athletes.

Bryan Buckhannon started off the morning race with a holeshot and never looked back on the way to his 4th consecutive 4×4 Open class win, which has him sitting atop the standings with a perfect 80 points. BNR’s Robert Smith grabbed the U2 class holeshot on his Dirt Commander equipped Can Am Renegade and held the lead for 2 laps before experiencing a motor failure that left him sidelined for the day. Forrest Whorton returned to his winning ways with another 4×4 Senior class triumph, and Ryan Smith’s 2nd place finish in the 4×4 Novice was enough to secure the points lead.